I had the fortune of being interviewed by Wharton Business Radio recently. Host Mike Useem and I discuss my journey building the Washington Speakers Bureau with no experience and turned it into the largest and most respected speaker's agency in the world. I also delve into my book What Made Me Who I Am and the first-hand accounts and defining moments in the lives of 34 of the speakers from Terry Bradshaw to Colin Powell. Click Here to Listen on Soundcloud.

Imagine having the force of a full-service marketing agency, a compassionate coach, and an efficient organizer to help support and guide your career. That’s what being part of a speaker’s bureau does. I founded the Washington Speaker’s Bureau, the largest speaker’s agency in the world, because I am a strong believer in the value and the importance of the professional support a bureau can offer. The support a speaker’s bureau can provide includes: Marketing you as a speaker Proactively finding … Continue reading "10 Steps: How To Get A Speaker’s Bureau Interested in You"

Walter Isaacson is well-known for telling the stories of our time through biographies of men of science and technology. Before all of that, he learned the power of naming a thing while fishing and swimming in the bayous of Louisiana. I grew up in the marshes north of Lake Ponchartrain in Louisiana. When I was a teenager, my best friend was a girl named Anne. She was -- and still is -- deaf. She helped me to understand the importance … Continue reading "Walter Isaacson – The Power In Naming"

Vision, goals and the ability to communicate are what leaders and business books most often attribute to their success and achievement. But there is one thing central to great leadership that is all too often overlooked. Great leaders must fundamentally understand their strengths and weaknesses. In other words, leaders who want to be effective and successful must first understand who they are. They must stop and ask themselves, “What do I do well?” ”What will I need help with?” “What … Continue reading "12 Books on Leadership to Read in 2017"

After 15 years of working for other people, I quit my job—I finally realized I needed to do something on my own. I was frustrated and demoralized, my ideas were being marginalized and I wasn’t waking up in the morning looking forward to a new day. With my wife, Paula, and our business partner at my side, I started a lecture agency, with no experience or real plan. Before too long, other people were working for me. I wanted them … Continue reading "How to Unleash Your Inner Entrepreneur"

Newsletter Signup

Join the Conversation

Name*

First

Last Name*

Last

Email

About Bernie

About Bernie

TEDx Speaker, Bernie Swain is co-founder and Chairman of Washington Speakers Bureau and today's foremost authority on the lecture industry. Over the past 35 years, he has represented former US Presidents, American and world leaders, journalists, authors, business visionaries, and sports legends. @Swain_Bernie